Despite enjoying Susan Boyle's star-making April 2009 performance on Britain's Got Talent (which went on to become an unprecedented viral video hit watched by more than 100 million people worldwide), I was totally prepared to dislike this album on first listen.

But if you're a fan of vocal-driven music, voices don?t come much purer than Ms Boyle?s ? and the material she and executive producer (and reality show maestro) Simon Cowell have chosen for her debut album is perfectly suited to her voice, which itself is more versatile than you'd imagine if all you've heard of her is that memorable live performance of 'I Dreamed A Dream'.

While the obvious choices are all accounted for ? a studio recording of 'I Dreamed A Dream', 'Silent Night', a tender version of 'The End Of The World' (by Skeeter Davis, not R.E.M.!) ? the less obvious choices, including Madonna's 'You'll See' and a surprisingly smoky and sensual version of Julie London's 'Cry Me A River' make for the most interesting listen.

The album has been a phenomenon since its November 2009 release, becoming the best-selling album of 2009 (worldwide) despite being released six weeks before year-end! With eight million copies sold so far, and Boyle still moving discs by the truckload, expect to see this one around for a while ? and start budgeting for a Christmas 2010 sequel.